Category Archives: The Oxford Tradition

After enjoying a formal at Corpus Christi and Pembroke Colleges, our students headed over to the Sheldonian Theatre for the Closing Ceremony. After being reminded by the theatre’s staff that the building is *very* old and to *please try not to break anything*, they settled down to hear speeches from Professor Jim Basker, Director Michael McKinley, and faculty.

Each teacher gave a short speech before awarding their class Book Prize. You could tell that The Oxford Tradition had been a success, as every teacher enthused about the intelligence, development, and all round enthusiasm of their students. There were even threats of violence between Christina Floe and Caroline Batten, of Neuropsychology and Literature and the Fantastic, over whose class was the best.

To round off the evening, Mia Huber serenaded us with an original song about the friendship she has found at The Oxford Tradition. She was received so well that she couldn’t have escaped from giving an encore without widespread restlessness. After a sing-a-long, Mia gave a bow, and the students started to head over to Pembroke College for the mysterious final event.

So said Claudius. And so said the cast of Hamlet, in the midst of their post-show pizza. The show was a great success, and our Drama students weren’t afraid to show their love. Giving toasts to each other, their director, and Shakespeare himself, it was the sappy bonding moment that everyone needed.

With the Oxford Tradition 2017 Closing Ceremony only nine hours away, it is hard not to get lost in nostalgia. It seems like only yesterday that the Admin team was preparing the colleges for the students’ arrival. The Program Assistants, Activities Directors, and the rest of the team couldn’t wait to meet this year’s cohort.

At the Opening Ceremony, our jetlagged students heard from Professor James Basker and celebrated the diversity of nations present in the program. It wasn’t long until the Americans had another chance to demonstrate their national pride, with the OxTrad Independence Day party.

July 4th also saw Suzanne Lynch, White House correspondent for the Irish Times, give a talk on the state of journalism today. On the topic of which, our Journalism students have just published their Special Edition of The OxTrad Weeklyon the contentious issue of homelessness in Oxford.

The other classes have been busy as well! Molecular Medicine has found very inventive ways to teach genetic concepts, not least a game of hide and seek. Medical Sciences found time between fields trips and presentations to dissect animal hearts, and Entrepreneurship students had a planning session while punting.

We all had a taste of Oxford college life with the two OxTrad bops, held in the Catholic Chaplaincy. The first bop had the theme of London, making sure that students got a taste of the UK capital even if they went on the Warwick Castle field trip, and the second had the theme of Spring Break, just in case someone went to bed early on 4th July.

After all this activity, we were all very thankful to Julie Bolitho for leading regular yoga sessions with her expertise and joy. Other abilities came to the fore at the Oxford Tradition Talent Show and Arts Exhibition! We also saw a lot of creativity in the collaboration between the Photography and Creative Writing classes, in their Humans of Oxford assignment.

Indeed, the Photography class frequented our blog more than any other, and for good reason! See just a small sample of their work with their study of Bourdin, groundbreaking 20th century fashion photographer.

To give a heartwarming conclusion, Gavin Rodriquez had the rare honour to meet Sir Roger Bannister – the first man to break the four minute mile, distinguished neurologist, and prior Master of the college.

We are all very proud of how the students have conducted themselves, and we can only hope that when they leave us, they leave with new knowledge and personal growth. All of us on the staff certainly will!

They’ve had a month to marinate in the beauty and culture of Oxford, absorb the mix of historic and modern aesthetics… and these influences and contrasts show in the diversity of entries to the OxTrad Photography Competition.

They’ve submitted flora, fauna, and a mysterious gentleman in stockings. You can see skylines, horizons, and sunsets – and proof of our students having a lot of fun!

Categories were Best Portrait, Oxford Scene, and Activities. The winners of the OxTrad Photography Competition will be announced this evening at the Closing Ceremony. Good luck to all involved!

On Wednesday, the Medical Science students presented various topics to their classmates. This format enabled first a factual presentation outlining the topic’s medical relevance and dangers, before a student-led rigorous Q&A.

Topics ranged from ‘Arsenic Poisoning in the Workplace’ to ‘Farmers and Occupational Hazards’

In the ‘Arsenic Poisoning’ talk, workplace prevention occupied the first section of the Q&A, with the presenters detailing solutions relating to gas masks and urine tests. Further questioning related to the reasoning for the prominence of arsenic poisoning, with the presenters once more up to the task of outlying the importance of arsenic in the electronics manufacturing process. In order to put further perspective on the issue, Dr Ranavaya then provided a few anecdotes, even including how Indian women would use arsenic to gradually poison their husbands!